Parents are an integral part of the special education team. They know the most about their children’s strengths, weaknesses and personal preferences. Therapists and other school staff need to include parents in all decision making for children. Here are some tips on improving your communication with parents: 1. Always start off a conversation stressing a […]
Are you familiar with electronic medical records abbreviated as EMR? For most school based occupational and physical therapists, electronic medical records are not being used in school districts. Some school districts do run software programs to generate and monitor progress for students’ IEPs. I recently had the chance to view a demonstration of an EMR […]
I love scratch art and always have even as a child. Now as an adult I am way too cheap to buy all the expensive papers. You can make scratch art paper using crayons and paint but it is labor intensive. When I came across this blog post from iCreativeIdeas on Pinterest I knew I had […]
Self regulation skills at school require the ability to tolerate sensations, situations and distress and form appropriate responses. Simply stated, it is the ability to control emotions, thinking, behavior and motor actions in different situations. In children, self regulation matures just like other developmental processes. Children get older and learn to think before they act. Research indicates […]
Practice scissor skills, coloring and imagination with this freebie to create owl and peacock masks with these pretend play masks for free! Combine fine motor skills with gross motor skills with this fun activity. Print the black and white versions of the masks, color the masks and cut them out (an adult can help cut […]
When back to school starts, school based therapists have to hit the ground running. There is rarely time to organize supplies, review IEPs or even go to the bathroom haha! Most therapists start the school year off with scheduling. This is BY FAR THE WORST part of being a school based therapists in my opinion. […]
For back to school this year, we are throwing a super sale! The more money you spend, the more money you save. And we have lots of NEW products and collections to help get you started loading up your school based therapy bags, totes, crates or rolling luggage. So here are the codes (coupons […]
Here are a few free app suggestions for pediatric OTs and PTs for 8/12/16. This week there is a pretty simple and straightforward handwriting app and an app that adds some physical activity to a child’s day – my favorite when kids are moving instead of just hunched over their devices. (This post does include […]
Here are two free sample pages from the My School Handwriting Packet. No matter what type of handwriting instruction methodology you are using, children need practice sessions to improve their handwriting. These handwriting pages provide some simple copy work with back to school themed words and sentences. You can print them full page or half […]
About two weeks ago, I read an article about an occupational therapist who is starting up a foundation to help children with disabilities in Uganda. Her story is so inspiring. I contacted her and asked her a few questions about Imprint Hope. There is a link to donate to Imprint Hope at the bottom of […]